Where to begin

A Bowl Full of Lemons is a growing community of people who aspire to get their lives in order. If you are new, Hello! I’m so glad you are here. Before you begin, think about what you are looking to achieve here at ABFOL. Do you want to get your home organized from top to bottom? Do you want to learn some cleaning tips? Is your budget a mess? Or are you looking to make new friends? There are many places you can begin, but the easiest way to get your life in order the “ABFOL way” is to follow these simple steps…

1. CONNECT WITH ME – I love to share my homekeeping tips on my blog and throughout my social media channels. Sometimes I may share different things on each of them. Stay connected with me to get the latest happenings. Take a minute to follow me on these social media channels.

2. JOIN MY FACEBOOK GROUPS – I have several Facebook groups filled with women and men who help each other in different areas of their lives every day. Browse the groups below and see what area you are most interested in. You can even join them all! They are fabulous!

Budgeting Group – Need help getting on and sticking to a budget? Join this group to ask budgeting questions & share your ideas.

Home Organization Group – This is my most popular group, with over 30,000 members. This group is a general “homekeeping” group where you can ask questions & share ideas on everything related to home management (cleaning, organizing, decorating, etc).

Planner Swap & Sell Group – This group is devoted to anyone who is looking to purchase a planner, sell a planner or trade a planner for another style. Its a fun group!

ABFOL Book Club Group – This group is a monthly virtual book club open to the fans of ABFOL. If you love to read, this group is definitely for you.

3. CLEAN YOUR HOUSE – Learn a simple yet effective method of daily cleaning with 7 steps on (this page). I share a system on how to get your house clean and keep it clean. Before you begin organizing, you really need to clean up. If you don’t, it will be harder to get through the organizing challenges. Begin with step 1 and follow through the entire week. Once you are finished with this step, you are ready to begin the organizing challenges.

4. ORGANIZE YOUR HOUSE – Home Organization 101 is a 14 week challenge devoted to getting your entire house organized. Begin (here). Click on the “Kitchen” at the bottom of the page and work your way through the 14 weeks. Once you have completed this challenge, you can start working on your budget.

5. CREATE A BUDGET – In order to become fully organized, you need to get your household budget in check. Begin (here) for a series that will teach you how to create a functional household budget and become financially independent.

6. PREPARE YOUR FAMILY FOR EMERGENCIES – Every home needs an emergency survival kit. Are you prepared for emergencies? Complete (this) 8 week series that will get your family prepared for emergencies. Begin on Week 1 “Storage”. This is a super important step in the “Life Organization” process.

7. PURGE THE CLUTTER. After you’ve organized your home, life will happen. You’ll get busy, the kids will surely get messy and your house will go back to chaos. If this happens, don’t fret. It’s life and that’s okay! Clutter happens when we have too much stuff to realistically manage. The best way to conquer clutter is by following my 31 day purge challenge. By spending 5-10 minutes a day for a month, you can eliminate the clutter and regain control of your abode. Click HERE to learn about this challenge and get started today!

8. PURCHASE MY BOOKS. I have spent countless months creating two home keeping guides that will help you achieve clean and organized homes. Each book offers hundreds of tips, including checklists, recipes, charts, and schedules that will help you along the way. They are both must haves!

Thank you for bringing back the original 21 day challenge
with the linky photos! I still use the 21 day challenge
to get back on track with cleaning, organizing and purging
my home. It has made a world of difference! Thanks again!

Hi i can’t find your name in the blog…i really like your design and ideas and very inspired by you!!
i’m just a beginner in this planner world addict:)) because i’m really not an organized person i thought maybe it could drive me to do things:)
so i bought a planner such an expensive filofax i can’t believe i spent so much money on it. yet to arrive .(it’s cost me with the delivery 144$!!!)because i live in country in asia and we don’t have those things.
so i wanted to know where do you recommend to buy the inserts for the filofax like card crafts and sticker and little stuff. i bought in aliexpress some washi tapes it’s cost me like something like 30$ . i’m already spent so much so i need your advice where can i buy this things in chip price but nice things like you have here thank you very much!

I am visually disabled but active and have three jobs, four adult children, one grandson, one son getting married,two dogs,I don’t drive and need help with transportation and I need help with ORGANIZATION! You have alot of choices and not sure how to put together the kits that will fit my needs. Thank you
Janie BEHR
502-648-5885

Hi there! Just wanted you to know that I think your blog is great and I have nominated you for The Versatile Blogger Award! (no pressure to accept) Take a peek: http://wp.me/p5queU-5Y
~Lisa @ Cuppa Sunshine & Sugar

Hello, I just joined and was “approved”.. I don;t understand that process, but glad I was approved. I have a question. Since joining, my FB notifications has been inundated with thousands of posts…. How do I not get so many without shutting it off entirely??

Second, I studid design and have worked as a designer. I finally finished my dream kitchen a few years ago (after a 20 year wait)….I am an organizer and thought it would be interesting to see how other people organize and to offer suggestions.

Hi Good Day
I wasn’t sure how exactly to contact you. I wanted to buy the 2014 Core kit for my A5 size planner, and I noticed that the kit does not come in the A5 size and the
8.5 x 11 is going to be to big.
Please advise.

I order from the printable shop a week ago. How long does it take to come.
I also started the 14 week challenge for organization of my home and I love it. Shared it with my friends and they are doing the same. Thanks for the ideas.

The files are emailed immediately upon payment. Please be sure to check your spam or ‘other’ folder as sometimes the email can end up there. If you are unable to locate the files, please send a copy of your invoice to abfolassistant@gmail.com

Hi Toni, i have not left your site all weekend. I love all your ideas and printables. My question is do you have a printable package for starting and keeping track of a small business? Would you be able to make one? I wouldnt need it right away. I already plan to get your tax package among many others.
Thanks, Teri

I recently ordered the 2015 all in one printable bundle. It arrived right away, and it is amazing! One month into the system it is absolutely life changing!! Thank you for creating this. I am anxious to order the 2016 addition as I need to start planning next year. 🙂 Can’t wait!! Have a beautiful day!

I do not know if it’s just me or if perhaps everyone else experiencing problems with your blog.
It looks like some of the text on your content are running off the screen.
Can someone else please comment and let me know if this is happening to them too?
This could be a problem with my internet browser because I’ve
had this happen before. Thanks

Do you offer hard copies of your survival preparedness books? Technology can be so unreliable & susceptible to viruses, leaving ebook downloads unuseable. I would love to purchase your books, but I would prefer actual books instead of ebooks.

I was hoping I could send you at A Bowl of Lemons a few of our Pura Naturals eco-friendly kitchen and household scrubbers. The are soap infused and also have a walnut scrubber. No glues, no toxins and no GMO’s. We do no test on teat or animals or use any animal by-products; we are proud to be cruelty free and Made in the USA.

I found your planner and fell in love with everything you do. I would say you thought of everything. However, I just found out I am going to have a baby and planning for that is a big undertaking. would be nice to see some planning prints for that.

Hi I just came across your website and I love it. I’m currently pregnant and want to nest and get ready for the baby I have 4 months to go. I wanted to buy your All in One Bundle but it’s only for 2015. Is there an updated one for 2016? Thanks!
Siannah

I have followed your blog for ages and love it! ageas ago your old office you had a paper file on the wall and they were from a stationary/ office store. I have searched your website for three days now and cant find it anywhere its not staples or office depot. Do you have any idea? Many thanks Ronnie

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Hello my name is Lorie McDermott. Yesterday I and a friend each purchase a binder worth $51.00 from your website. My friend got hers however I never received mine. Please advise when I should be receiving it.
Thank you,
Lorie McDermott
9162062091

I’m not sure if this is the correct area to ask this question, but I’m going to anyway. I found one of your pins on Pinterest and I absolutely love it. It looks like a black dresser and it is holding Scentsy bars. Can you tell me more about it or where to find it? Also, do you have any other ideas for storing Scentsy bars? Thanks so much!

Hello!
Just wondering what you’re using for a Christmas/Holiday planner. I did find your 2013 page with the planner pages you built. Anything new for 2016? I’m finally ready to have all of my notes in one place!!

Hello! I am so excited for the 2017 home org challenge (and Santa is bringing me your book!) — wondering if there is a master list of the “30 day purge” somewhere that I’m missing? Or perhaps it’s referenced in your book? Thanks!

Love your blog! Really looking forward to starting this process. I currently live with my parents, I have Autism, but one day I will be on my own. I opened a savings account last week and I think your method is going to be the best for me. Can’t wait to start!

The bundle has all of my printables. I marked it 25% off because the calendar is out of date. Everything else is current. You can just delete the calendar if you want the bundle. I will not be adding a new calendar.